


to all the stars that light the road

by caitlesshea



Category: Roswell New Mexico (TV 2019)
Genre: Happy Ending, Lost Decade (Roswell New Mexico), M/M, Malex Cupid 2021, Renovations, Returning Home, mentions of amputation, mentions of injury
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-12
Updated: 2021-02-12
Packaged: 2021-03-12 08:54:12
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,480
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29382357
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/caitlesshea/pseuds/caitlesshea
Summary: Michael's relationship with Alex is a fickle thing, similar to the plants that he’s placed throughout the house. It needs nourishment and time to grow, years of patience and dedication.OrMichael builds a home with Alex
Relationships: Michael Guerin/Alex Manes
Comments: 21
Kudos: 72





	to all the stars that light the road

**Author's Note:**

> For Malex Cupid Day 1: “I just wanted a chance to look at the stars with you.”

**2017**

“Woah.” 

“You like it?” Alex asks and Michael just nods his head, staring at the gorgeous house that Alex brought him to.

“I love it,” Michael breathes out, and he does. 

It’s  _ perfect _ .

It’s almost everything they talked about when they were kids, complete with the courtyard out front. If only it didn’t…

“It needs some work.” Alex breaks his train of thought and Michael nods.

“Not too much.”

“Wait til you see the inside.”

“Well alright Private, show me,” Michael drawls as Alex unlocks the front door. 

Alex isn’t lying, it  _ does _ need work but it’s still gorgeous. 

“The work is cosmetic,” Michael tells him.

“You think so?”

“Yeah, unless you need plumbing or electric?”

“No, inspection said they were newer.”

“That’s good,” Michael says quietly as he looks at the kitchen.

A memory hits him of him telling Alex he’d do all the cooking for their little family one day, kids and all. It hurts to think about. 

“I definitely want to do some upgrades.” Alex walks around the kitchen and touches the counters lightly. 

“Yeah, it’s a little stuck in the nineties,” Michael jokes and Alex smiles at him. 

Michael  _ always  _ wants Alex to smile at him. 

“I think I can work on it when I’m on leave, and then once I’m out it’ll be a nice project.”

“Yeah,” Michael responds, nodding along as he listens to the changes Alex wants to make to the house. 

“I want to keep the architecture and kinda bring it back to life you know?”

“Like a Southwestern vibe?”

“Exactly. You get it,” Alex smiles and Michael gets it, he does. 

Because it’s his dream, too.

“I think some new wood cabinets, a tile backsplash, upgraded counters would do a lot of good in here.”

“And where did you hear that, Guerin?”

“Hey, Isobel’s an event planner.”

Alex raises an eyebrow and Michael is unable to resist.

“Alright so I watch a lot of HGTV, sue me.” 

What Michael  _ doesn’t _ say is that he watches a lot of HGTV while dreaming up a life he could have with Alex. Could’ve already _ had _ with Alex if he wasn’t such a fuck up when they were younger. 

He shakes out of it as Alex laughs at him, pushing him towards the rest of the house, showing Michael two rooms and two bathrooms, an office, and a decent sized backyard. 

Perfect for stargazing.

“Right? That’s what I thought, too.”

_ Oh.  _

Michael said that out loud. 

“C’mon, I’ll show him the garage. You’ll love it.”

Michael follows. 

**2018**

Michael takes one look at the bathroom and brings the sledgehammer down onto all the hard work he’s done.

The green and blue tiles, the nice brown cabinets, the glass door. 

_ Shattered _ . 

All of it. Like his heart. 

His phone buzzes in his pocket but he ignores it, again. It’s Isobel but Michael can’t be bothered. He can’t face her inquisitive stare and know it all looks. 

He takes another swing, momentarily pleased when the faucet breaks off from the sink and he uses his powers to fling it farther into the broken shower wall like it’s target practice. 

His phone buzzes, again.

“What?” Michael growls into the phone. 

“Michael?”

Michael freezes. He knows that voice. A voice that is  _ not  _ Isobel. A voice that has been haunting his dreams since that call…

“Alex?”

“I’m okay.”

Michael drops to the ground, sledge hammer rolling away. He can feel that he’s sitting in glass and bits of wood but he doesn’t care.

“I thought…” Michael chokes down a sob and Alex makes a soothing noise.

“I know, I’m sorry I couldn’t call.”

“That’s okay.”

Alex sucks in a breath and it sounds like he’s crying.

“What is it darling?” Michael let’s the endearment slip in a moment of weakness.

“My leg…I lost my right leg.” 

“Alex.” Michael doesn’t really know what to say. His heart  _ aches _ . 

Alex babbles a little bit, pain meds Michael figures. They hang up with Alex telling him he’s being transferred to Roswell from Germany in a couple of months. Michael stands up and looks at the mess he’s made.

He winds the sledgehammer up into the air and swings down on the vanity. Alex will need an accessible bathroom. 

He better get to work. 

**2019**

Michael feels awkward. He knows he  _ shouldn’t _ . But he does. He’s picked Alex up before, driven to meet him in other states, seen where he’s lived through the years. 

But this is the first time he’s picked him up on base. Usually Alex will get a friend to drop him off somewhere. But Alex said this time he wanted Michael here. 

So, he waits. Cowboy hat low on his head to block the midday sun, jeans slung low on his hips, belt buckle be damned, shirt opened just enough to be indecent. 

Michael sees the top of Alex’s head first, then as the other people part, he sees the rest of him, whole, and here. 

“Private,” Michael drawls and Alex’s eyes crinkle. 

“Michael.”

Michael isn’t sure what he’s supposed to do, just get in the car, hug Alex, grab his bag?

Alex answers that for him by coming closer and hugging him. Michael sinks into his warmth, relishing in the fact that he still gets to have this. 

“Glad you’re back.”

“Yeah.”

Michael separates himself from Alex even though he doesn’t want to, but the sooner they get off this base the better.

“Where to?” Michael asks as Alex fiddles with the radio.

“The airstream? I don’t think I can handle an air mattress at the house.” Alex shrugs and groans like he’s thinking of all the work that has to be done at his house. 

“Sure, want me to stop for food?” 

“Can we wait til Roswell? The Crashdown sounds amazing.”

“Sure.” Michael smiles and points to a bag on the floor with some of Alex’s favorite snacks.

“Oh, thank you.” 

Michael chuckles, he figures Alex will eat all the sugary candies he can and then he’ll crash but they’ve got a couple hours drive so that’s okay. 

When they finally cross the city limits into Roswell, Alex is out like a light. Michael sneaks into the Crashdown, grabbing Alex’s favorites, and then makes the drive toward Alex’s house.

When Michael finally turns the ignition off Alex starts to stir. Once he wakes fully Michael waits until Alex realizes they’re in his own driveway. 

“What? Michael?”

“C’mon, I wanna show you something.” 

Alex winces as he gets out of the car and Michael pauses. 

“It can wait…”

“No, no, show me, then we can sleep.” 

Michael smiles ruefully and then turns the little corner into Alex’s courtyard and watches as Alex takes in the changes.

“What’s all this?” Alex asks as he walks around the chairs and fire pit set up, the café lights, and small bar he made to go with the space.

“Do you like it?”

Alex turns toward him and Michael smiles as he nods his head. 

“There’s more, c’mon.”

“Michael…” Alex says a little choked up and Michael ushers his inside, watching as Alex takes it all in. 

His relationship with Alex is a fickle thing, similar to the plants that he’s placed throughout the house. It needs nourishment and time to grow, years of patience and dedication. 

He’d like to think after over a decade of trying to work on his life with Alex that he would’ve understood every reaction he’d have to someone secretly renovating his home through the last couple of years. 

But this,  _ this  _ reaction he wasn’t ready for. 

Alex has one hand over his mouth as he stares at the changes. His eyes are shining, happy tears falling over his cheeks. 

“Alex?”

“You did all of this?” Alex asks as he takes his hand away from his mouth. 

“Yeah, I hope you don’t mind.” Michael shrugs and then suddenly Alex’s lips are on his and Michaels breathing for the first time in  _ years.  _

When they pull apart they’re both smiling, giggling almost like they’re seventeen again, and Michael’s never been more in _ love.  _

“I can’t believe you did all of this, and my stuff...” Alex walks around, seeing his tapestries on the walls, books on the shelves, guitars in the corner. It’s all here.

“I took it out of storage, figured I could get it setup. It’s all done too, so you can sleep in a king sized bed tonight instead of on my crappy mattress.”

“I like that mattress.” 

Michael chuckles. “I can change anything you don’t like if - ”

“No. It’s perfect.”

“You haven’t even seen the rooms or the bathrooms yet.”

“I don’t care. It’s perfect Michael. Thank you.”

“‘Course.”

“And the yard?” Alex asks as he walks towards the back door.

“Perfect for stargazing.” Michael comes up next to Alex as he unlocks the door with his powers. 

They walk outside. 

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.” 

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Come find me on Tumblr - same username!


End file.
